Easy San Marzano Pizza Sauce (Neapolitan-Style!) (2024)

This homemade San Marzano pizza sauce recipe is so easy and requires just 3 ingredients. Inspired by the simple, yet delicious Neapolitan pizzas I tried in Italy, it's incredibly fresh, with a hint of sweetness and acidity. The best part? It takes less than 5 minutes to come together, making it the ideal sauce for your next pizza night.

I cannot believe I haven't shared this homemade pizza sauce recipewith you all, yet! It's fresher than any sort of store-bought sauce, and it's SO easy to make. This is my go to recipe that I've been making for years and years, especially as a base for Margherita pizzas. It's a bit thinner than a classic marinara sauce, but not watery.

And if you're looking for a good pizza dough to along with it, I highly recommend my beginner-friendly Roberta's Pizza Dough recipe or intermediate 72 hour cold-fermented pizza dough recipe. For more quick recipes, try out my kale pasta sauce, Carbone's spicy vodka rigatoni, or paneer bhurji sandwiches.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient Spotlight: What are San Marzano Tomatoes?

There is a lot of hype and confusion around these tomatoes, but I'm here to dispel the myths! San Marzanos are a longer variety of plum tomatoes with low acidity, few seeds, and a rich, concentrated tomato flavor and sweetness.

They are often referred to as the best tomatoes, and according to the AVPN (the True Neapolitan Pizza Association), authentic Neapolitan pizza *must* use San Marzano tomatoes. To qualify as "San Marzano," these tomatoes must follow specific requirements. Here are a few:

• They must grow in the fertile soil around Mount Vesuvius in Campania, Italy.
• Canned tomatoes must contain the real D.O.P certification and be labeled with this designation "Pomodoro S. Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino."

Other Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You only need a little bit of olive oil for the sauce, so I recommend going for the good stuff!

Optional Toppings: Authentic Italian pizza sauce often only contains tomatoes, salt, and olive oil, but sometimes you want to change things up a bit! Here are my recommendations:

• Garlic: Add a pinch of garlic powder. Or, grate ½ a garlic clove if you want it punchier.
• Fresh Herbs: like fresh oregano or fresh basil leaves
• Red Pepper Flakes

For the full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.

How to Make Pizza Sauce

Step 1 - Strain the tomatoes: Open the can of tomatoes, and use tongs to pull out the whole tomatoes from their juices. Place the drained tomatoes into a large blender cup with olive oil and salt.

See Also

Homemade Pizza Sauce (5-Minute Recipe)Authentic Italian Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe - Christina's CucinaPizza Sauce recipe (3 versions)Pizzasaus recept: Italiaanse pizzasaus maken | Casa Cucina

Step 2 - Blend: Puree tomatoes with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. Alternatively, you can use a stand blender or food processor, but a blender will yield a smoother sauce. Avoid over-blending, as that can lead to a more soupy sauce!

TIP: For a thicker sauce, strain the tomato puree over a fine-mesh sieve until it reaches your desired consistency.

Step 3 - Add optional toppings: Stir in any desired toppings, such as chopped herbs or garlic powder.

Step 4 - Sauce: Use as desired on pizza! I usually start with 2 - 3 tablespoons for a personal-sized thin-crust pizza, but you can use more or less depending on the size and thickness of the pie.

Step 5 - Bake: Top with your favorite toppings and a bit of fresh mozzarella and bake! For more tips on saucing and topping pizza, check out my guide to homemade thin-crust pizza.

Storage Instructions

This recipe makes a large batch (1 cup) of sauce. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week or in a Ziploc bag in the freezer up to 6 months.

Recipe FAQs

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Happy eating! Love, Karishma

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